BY INNOCENT ANABA

LAGOS—Some members of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the South West, have asked a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos to nullify the appointment of the party’s Southwest Zone Caretaker Committee.

The plaintiffs, Ishola Filani (Ekiti), Chief Pegba Otemolu (Ogun), Adedeji Doherty (Lagos), Rasak Akanni (Oyo), Bolaji Jeje (Lagos), Orimolade Olanrewaju (Ondo), Olawunmi Oshinmoluke Yuba (Ogun) and Banji Obasanmi (Ekiti), are contending that they remain the valid Caretaker Committee members of PDP by virtue of a court order, noting that PDP cannot appoint any other persons to replace them.

Trial judge in the matter, Justice Okon Abang, has adjourned till May 16, for judgment in the suit.

Other plaintiffs in the suit are Shola Oludipe (Ondo), Lawal Waheed Olatunde (Oyo), Emmanuel Oladejo (Oyo), Olalekan Abubakar (Lagos), Seun Adesanya (Ogun), Semiu Babatunde (Ogun), Prince Tope Ademiluyi (Ekiti), Tunde Olowofoyeku (Osun) and Prince Omoniyi Alo (Ondo).

They are asking the court to declare that based on judgment delivered by Justice Abang of April 9, 2013, following which they were appointed as the Caretaker Committee of the Southwest Zone until the conduct of a zonal congress to elect new officers, PDP was not at liberty to dissolve the committee until new officers had been elected.

They also want the court to hold that the resignation of their positions in the committee was to enable them contest for a substantive office during the congress, scheduled to hold on August 24 last year, and since the congress was cancelled, their resignation is, therefore, of no effect.

The plaintiffs want the court to restrain PDP from appointing any other persons in their place as the party’s Caretaker Committee in the Southwest Zone.

In a supporting affidavit, Filani, who was chairman of the ‘old’ committee, said the court had directed the PDP to set up a caretaker committee to run the party’s affairs in the Southwest, consisting of the plaintiffs, who were “ duly elected delegates from the constituent states of the Zone,” pending the conduct of a new congress.

He said PDP announced a timetable for the congress sometime in June 2013 and scheduled the congress for August 24, 2013.

“It is clear that unless this court intervenes, the second defendant (PDP) will defy the order of this court set out above and constitute an illegal and invalid Caretaker Committee in place of the plaintiffs and the first defendant (INEC) will proceed to recognise the illegal contraption as representing the Southwest Zone of the PDP,” he averred.

INEC did not file any response to the suit despite being served with the court processes.

PDP, however, filed a counter-affidavit and a written address in opposition to the action, in which it urged the court to dismiss the suit.

The party said it was under an erroneous impression that there was a court order asking it not to hold the congress.